My New Blog

The visual studies seminar class has its pros and cons in many different ways.

Pros:

-Informative on the Visual Studies Majors

-Lots of useful informative for working in the Multi-Media industry

-Lots of fantastic speakers

Cons:

-Not enough speakers or discussions on the Video Game industry

-Wish there was more than just speakers, maybe group projects or showcases

-Class is too long

-Very easy to doze off

 

PART 1

Bill Kennedy (Photography)

• Bill Kennedy’s photography was truly unique and I have never seen anything like it. The fact that he modifies his photographs to the point where you can barely tell what it is and you would have no idea if he didn’t provide titles is miraculous.

Hollis Hammonds (Artist & Sculpturer)

• Hollis Hammonds’s art and sculptures are extremely dark and passionate, many of which tell a story about her life. Her art and sculptures go together to emphasize her story and express her emotions in different ways.

Alex Robinson (Photography & Artist)

• Alex Robinson’s work was very different compared to traditional artists that I have seen. Her work is focused more on sketches and miscellaneous items around her house.

Tammie Rubin (Ceramics Sculpturer)

• Tammie Rubin’s sculptures are all similar in a way that one person could tell that her work belongs to her. Her sculptures are very modern and colorful.

Joe Vatine (Photography)

• Joe Vatine’s photography is very exquisite, by using the _____ camera (can’t remember the name) and using the in B&W it adds a lot of authenticity to his photos. Especially because his photos mainly have a ranch setting, it really adds emotion and captures the moment and every little detail.

PART 2

5 Year Plan:

1; Hopefully study abroad in Scotland and start working on my portfolio for the video game industry.

2: Have a strong portfolio and graduate from St. Edward’s University.

3: Moved to Sweden and start work as a QA tester for a company while working on a personal project.

4: Continue work on project until completed so that I may include it into my portfolio.

5: Proceed to apply for a job at DICE Stockholm (Dream Job)

 

Part 1: Last week, Gary Gattis (CEO) and a few team members from Spacetime Studios came to inform us about the video game industry. Gary talked about producing games and a tad about programming. The other developers discussed the work as game designers and game artists. I am very glad we had these developers come and inform us about the video game industry. I knew I wanted to work in the video game industry but did know the specific job I wanted to do. This helped me decide that video game design is the role for me.

Part 2: Question – How does someone in the digital media industry always have ideas?

1. How planned is your future / how is it customized to you?/If you could travel abroad where would you go and why?
   I have been told by my friends and family that I am very passionate and committed to my future. Since sophomore year of high school, I have had the same goal in mind for my future. I have been a huge fan of video games since I can remember I have been wanting to create my own. Then I was introduced to the Battlefield franchise, I fell in love with the game and told myself that I would work for the company the develops the game DICE. My goal is that once I  become knowledgeable on video game development and create a few basic games for my portfolio, I will move to Sweden after I graduate from St. Edward’s University. DICE  is stationed in Stockholm, Sweden, once I learned about this I did research on Sweden to see if it is someplace I could see myself living. The more research I did the more I fell in love with Sweden and could see myself living there.
2. Are you part of a student group? what kinds of extra-curricular activities would you like to see?
   Currentely I am the President of the Video Game Association on campus, and overseeing a friend who is part of the ALT MIND CTRL game dev club on campus.

As an Interactive Game Studies major it was difficult to relate to either one of the alumni but Camille Dollins was the one I could closely relate. She mentioned that she was an overachiever when it came to something she was passionate about, in her case graphic design. I have yet to take any game studio courses but I believe that I will be the same way when working on a project. For example, in high school, I had a project for my computer class where we had to create a house out of shapes only using excel. As oppose to creating a house, I decided to create a castle, I was enjoying the project so much that I wanted a challenge.

Today, the most valuable piece of advice I received was “It is okay to ask for help, that is how we grow as human beings. We merge our ideas and opinions to create something spectacular.” This is extremely inspiring, especially considering I do not like asking for help because I wish to complete tasks on my own without any assistance.

1. My greatest strengths in Video Game History include: My knowledge of video games and my interest in the course.
2. For greater success in this course, I need to: Read the assigned book

1. My greatest strengths in Spanish 3 include: Having prior knowledge of Spanish and a Hispanic background.
2. For greater success in this course, I need to: Read the assigned book

1. My greatest strengths in Visual Studies Seminar include: Having knowledge on design
2. For greater success in this course, I need to: Pay attention to all presentations, not just IGST related ones.

1. My greatest strengths in Rhetoric & Composition I include: Having past experience with this class.
2. For greater success in this course, I need to: Complete the work to the best of my ability

1. My greatest strengths in Foundation of Art & Design include: Taking art classes in the past.
2. For greater success in this course, I need to: Focus on the details.

1. My greatest strengths in Business Digital Media & Managment include: Being a part of the digital media age.
2. For greater success in this course, I need to: Read the assigned book

Computer skills:

1. My computer skills include:
2. I still need to learn:

Research & writing skills:

1. My greatest strengths as a researcher/writer include: Being able to summarize content.
2. I need to work on these aspects of research and writing: Elaborating on my work to get to the required number of words/ pages.
3. I learn best & accomplish most when: Involved in a discussion or hands-on assignment.

ACTION PLAN

My weakest class is Spanish 3.

10 ways I could improve your performance in this class

1. Read the book
2. Do the assignments properly
3. Ask for help
4. Review for quizzes
5. Use my resources
6. Do the tiny assignments in the book
7. Practice my Spanish
8. Pay attention in class
9. Try my best
10. Find a study buddy or someone to speak Spanish with

 

The following pieces of artwork are from my Foundation of Art and Design course I am taking this semester. Both were parts of a bigger project called the line project.

To start, everyone had to make a grid of 75 1.5″ squares, then we had to do it again with another different 75 squares. But, we were able to keep five that we liked from the previous one. Finally, we had to do it one last time but, were able to pick 75 squares that we enjoyed to most from both. Each square had to have a representation of line and had to be different. At the start, it was very difficult to think of 75 different designs but as we continued, it got easier to come up with designs.

The second picture was also part of the line project, we had to create a gesture drawing of an object from different angles. Later, we had to create a sculpture to resemble our drawing.  For the final piece of the project, we had to cast a shadow of our sculpture of trace it. Then we proceeded to fill in the gaps with designs from our line inventory (first picture).

1. What is the strongest aspect of this work?
   My strongest aspect of this project was that as I progressed through the project, my line technique became a lot cleaner and I was able to make my final product look very neat and organized.
2. What is the weakest aspect?
   I believe my weakest aspect was trying to come up with designs for my line inventory.
3. How can the project be strengthened conceptually?
   Conceptually I believe I can strengthen my work by making more time for the project as oppose to waiting until the last minute.
4. How can the project be strengthened technically?
   To improve my work on a technical standpoint, I should take my time when working on the final product to prevent tiny errors from occurring.

I really enjoyed being able to see upperclassman’s work and how their work progress over time. It is very comforting to hear them discuss the challenges they had and how they pushed through.

Faith – I really enjoyed Faith’s presentation, her photographs were very clear in displaying the focus of the pictures. As someone who would probably do photography as a small hobby, it is interesting to see someone else’s work.

Mary – Mary’s website was very impressive and it showcased her work very well. She was informative and helpful in discussing her experiences with internships and freelancers.

Diana – I was interesting, to hear how she was a double major in Art and Education and how she wanted to use that to be an art teacher.

John & Omar – Leaving the best for last, as an IGST major, it was extremely enjoyable viewing John and Omar’s projects and to hear what they have planned for their future. In addition, i was glad to hear them discuss how much time and effort it takes to create just the simplest game.

Richard Meier is a highly decorated contemporary architect who has been awarded the Pritzker Prize for Architecture, AIA Gold Medal, The Praemium Imperiale from the Japanese government in recognition of lifetime achievement in the arts, Royal Gold Medal from the Royal Institute of British Architects.

Richard Meier and Partners created this Neugebauer House located in Naples, Florida which I believe is absolutely gorgeous in my opinion. The house has a very sleek design with a futuristic feel to it. The house was created on a wedge-shaped piece of land with amazing views of palm trees and water. Spanish limestone was to give it it’s beautiful finish.

I enjoy contemporary architecture because it is clean, sleek, futuristic, and unique. I got into contemporary architecture when saw the movie Tron Legacy. The movie takes place in the video game world of Tron but has a neon led, futuristic look and feel to it. 

Neugebauer House is Richard Meier’s Admirable Signature Design in the Residential Field
Multiple windows on all sides allow plentiful sunlight to brighten up the house without the use of electricity allowing for energy efficiency.
The cylinder in the picture above is a 2 car garage with a 5×5 palm tree square across the yard.
A rectangular lap pool is located in the back overseeing the lake in the back along with a dock for the property.

Time-Tracker

House-Design-Comparison (11th Grade, Computer Class “Make a house out of shapes using Excel”)